Musical Mastery

Up early, posting my weekly prayer and reflection upload after 'Thought for the Day' on the radio. Then, after breakfast, down to St John's to celebrate the Eucharist, before returning to cook lunch for Clare, and work on recording and editing the audio for next week's upload.

I needed a siesta after lunch before going for a walk. That's what happens when I wake up early and can't get back to sleep. After an early supper, we took the bus into town and walked to the Royal Welsh College for a piano recital by Llyr Williams, another in his series performing Chopin's piano music. Another wonderful experience. His approach to playing is deeply reflective, like a Zen master at work. It's almost as if he sits at the keyboard and waits for the music to arrive from above and beyond. After a moment of stillness at the end of a piece his attention rests on the keyboard and then he raises his left arm into the air above his head, in a gesture that suggests he's offering the music back to heaven. When he stands up to acknowledge applause with a warm smile, he looks as if he's expressing enjoyment in hearing the music he has played, as much as the appreciation. A moment of shared delight perhaps? What a treat.

We caught a bus home just after ten, just too late for the news. Four of Boris Johnston's top aides have resigned in the past day, one of them fiercely critical of his refusal to apologise for slandering Keir Starmer in the House of Commons. What next in this insane political soap opera?

Chopin co-incidence

A day without rain, even if if was cloudy and then overcast for much of the time. I went to the Eucharist at St John's after breakfast, there were a dozen of us there with Mthr Frances celebrating. A quick visit to Tesco's to buy some drinks for the bottle stall at Saturday's Parish Fayre, then back home to cook a curry in time for Clare's return from school. 

After lunch a drive to Thornhill Crematorium for a funeral at three. A small family congregation for a single man cut off from social life in later years by infirmity and illness. On the return journey I listened to a piano concerto on Radio Three which I hadn't heard before, although it seemed familiar. It turned out to be Chopin's first piano concerto.  

After an early supper we walked across Bute Park to the Royal Welsh College for first public recital since it re-opened for public events. Co-incidentally the programme was all works by Chopin. Llyr Williams played a well chosen selection of his piano Etudes from opus 10 and opus 25. He was joined by 'cellist Nathalie Clein, who opened with his Poloniase Brillante, and closed with his 'cello concerto, both of them virtuoso pieces for both instruments. Llyr is a renowned accompanist as well as solo recitalist. They two of them exchanged excited glances several times when they came to the end of movements. Only when they returned for an encore did Nathalie mention that they'd only met the previous day for the first time, and so had never before played together!

The concert was live streamed on the College website. On stage there was a large BBC Radio 3 banner next to the piano. It made me wonder if was also going to be recorded for broadcast by the been sometime later. I'd love to listen again if it is.

It was an uplifting and inspiring programme of music, little of which I knew, just number three 'Lento ma non troppo' and the famous Revolutionary Etude, which Llyr played immaculately and passionately at a furious pace which truly conveyed its tumultuous energy. He has a mastery of the piano that enables him to make it sound like different instruments, when it comes to expressing different emotions. Nathalie is a fine 'cellist who plays passionately, and this shows in her movement as she performs. What a feast!

We walked into town and caught a bus along Cowbridge Road East to Canton Cross and walked the rest of the way home, to save time. 

Virtuoso video

Another lazy Saturday morning. A lie-in then pancakes. Departure of clergy means not only additional church services to undertake, but also on-line reflections and Morning Prayer slots to fill. The Parish is fortunate to have three retired clergy as well as Fr Rhys as a self supporting priest. Together with several laity we'll be able to keep up a reduced offer on-line until Mthr Frances returns and reviews the changed situation.

I had an email this morning from Andy and Michelle, whose wedding I did four years ago, the christened their first born. A second child was born before lock-down, and it became impossible to organise a second christening. Now restrictions are easing, it's possible to work towards a summer date for the christening. It depends on continued progress in keeping contained the fast spreading Indian virus variant. Over the next few days news media is likely to obsess on the matter of whether or not progress to open up will need to be halted.

After lunch, I walked down to the Bay Wetland nature reserve. There weren't many birds around, although I did see a couple of stopover Brent Geese, some swallows, and a strange all black pidgeon. I got several photos of a couple practicing Aikido in Hamadryad Park. My wound got rather uncomfortable after I had walked for an hour and a half, so I caught the number six bus back to the centre, and the the 122 Tonypandy Bus back to Pontcanna.

After supper we watched and listened to a recording of a 'live' concert with a small audience at RWCMD of Chopin piano works, played superbly by Llyr Williams. We used Clare's computer to stream it, and sat on the bed opposite side by side, as if we were young students again. Llyr's playing was masterly in technique and powerful in emotional expression. So refreshing and inspiring. 

Then, some time before bed uploading photos, and maintaining photo files on my desktop workstation. I am particularly bothered by the slowness of Windows 10 in loading programs, and managing files. It's got worse in the two years since I bought it. I will end up converting it to Linux at this rate. I an't see how I could get it to run any faster.

Winter music

This morning, with the temperature hovering freezing, I celebrated the midweek Eucharist again at St John's with eight others, then went to Riverside Surgery for a change of dressing before walking home in time for lunch. By teatime, rain was turning into sleet, with snow promised later. We went to town by bus in the evening walking to the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama for a piano recital.  By this time, pavements were treacherous and I regretted my choice of footwear.

Llyr Williams played a couple of Schubert's last sonatas, plus two of the elaborations on a couple of songs from his 'Winterreise' cycle by Franz List. A powerful evening's music. Schubert's sonata in B Flat was the subject of BBC Radio 4's 'Soul Music' programme earlier in the week. By coincidence, an unfamiliar musical masterpiece was given its historical context, and its key music themes were already familiar by the time we heard it performed live. And what a performance! 

Wales has to be most proud of one of its great Classical music interpreters and performers. I love his passion and the energy he brings to the work. In performance, he doesn't forget that that Schubert had just passed  thirty when he went through his final phase of creative output, knewing, like Mozart that he didn't have long to live. 

To get home after the concert, we caught a 63 bus going up Cathedral Road. The driver announced a change of route just beyond our stop, avoiding the last and steepest part of Penhill, just in case the falling snow was unsurmountable. Meadow Street looked beautiful and quiet under its fresh white blanket. It never lasts long, but it gives an excuse to get a camera out for some special night shots.